Google is where most prospective patients read reviews, so it deserves most of your effort. But patients also find practices on Yelp, health directories such as Healthgrades, and Facebook, and a neglected profile elsewhere can still cost you a call.
Where to focus
- Google: your main review-request target. Everything in the Google reviews chapter and the request system in this guide applies.
- Everywhere else: claim the profile, make sure the details are correct, and reply to reviews. Don’t split your review requests across sites; asking patients to choose among several links lowers the chance they’ll leave any review at all.
Yelp is different
Yelp’s guidelines tell businesses not to ask customers for reviews at all, and its software filters out many reviews it considers solicited or unreliable, placing them in a less visible section. Yelp may also show a public alert on business pages it believes are soliciting or buying reviews. So the approach to Yelp is: claim the free business page, keep it accurate, reply to reviews with the same HIPAA-safe templates, and never ask patients to review you there. Check Yelp’s current guidelines for business owners.
Healthgrades and similar directories
Health directories collect patient ratings of individual dentists as well as practices. Claim the profiles for the practice and each dentist, correct the address, phone, insurance and specialty information, and check them periodically. The local SEO guide explains why consistent details across these listings matter.
Facebook recommendations
Facebook pages show recommendations rather than star ratings. Patients who follow your page may leave them, and the same reply rules apply: Facebook replies are just as public as Google ones. Check your page settings to understand whether recommendations are displayed and who can see them.
Monitor every week
- Turn on new-review notifications on each platform and send them to the program owner, not only the dentist.
- Check every claimed profile weekly and reply within a few business days.
- Watch for reviews that don’t match anyone in your records or appear in bursts, which may be fake.
Measure every month
A simple monthly line per site is enough: new reviews, average rating of those new reviews, overall rating, and any reviews still unanswered. Put it next to the review requests you logged. Trends matter more than any single month. Recent reviews count for more with patients than an old high score, so a steady flow is the goal. The budget and ROI guide covers how reputation fits into your overall marketing numbers.